Salty Sweet Peanut Butter Granola With Chocolate Chips

There is a refrigerator–a little small, maybe 21 cubic feet?, bottom freezer drawer–sitting in my front hallway right now. My parents are re-doing their kitchen, and I got the prize of the fridge! I have been dying for a second fridge in the basement for a while now. Right now, in the winter, overflow goes into the garage, but come spring and I am beating my head against a wall at all of those recipes that think you have room for a tray or a large, deep bowl in your fridge. I don’t know about you guys, but I sure do not!

Until now.

So thanks Mom and Dad, and thanks for getting it down here. Thanks also to John’s co-workers who helped us get it into the house–and whoever will be helping us get it into the basement. Eeek! I’m so excited!

Which has nothing to do with granola, but I wanted to share my excitement, and I don’t have a lot to say about this granola other than it is fantastic. Make some today. You won’t be sorry. Seriously.

Salty Sweet Peanut Butter Granola With Chocolate Chips
Recipe by The Spiced Life

Peanut Butter Sauce:
Inspired by Salty Sweets, Christie Matheson

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 cup creamy peanut butter, not natural
3/4 cup water
1 T vanilla
1/4 t fine sea salt (to taste)

Granola:
1/2 cup walnut
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup sunflower seeds (if I’d had pumpkin seeds I would have used 1/2 cup of each)
1 cup barley flakes
4 cups rolled oats (old fashioned)
2 cups puffed brown rice
coarse sea salt to taste
brown sugar for sprinkling
10 oz chocolate chips

First make the sauce by combining the peanut butter, honey, brown sugar, salt and water in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and add the vanilla. Stir smooth yet again and then turn off the heat and let the mixture cool while you assemble the granola. Preheat the oven to 325 F or 300 F convection and place the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line 2 cookie sheets with rims with foil.

Make the granola by tossing all of the ingredients except the sugar, salt and chocolate chips in a large bowl. Other ingredients–like shredded coconut, wheat germ, other nuts, can be subbed in of course. Pour the peanut butter sauce over the ingredients and toss, using a large spatula. Stir until the granola is evenly moistened by the sauce. Spread it out onto the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle some salt and brown sugar over the granola and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, toss the granola and sprinkle again with salt and brown sugar. Reverse the cookie sheets tops to bottom in the oven. Bake another 15 minutes–at this point watch for it to be done. It should darken and be fragrant. Do not let it burn.

When you pull the granola out, sprinkle with brown sugar and salt, toss, and sprinkle again. Let it cool. Add the chocolate chips and store in an airtight container.